Adjustable wrist band facemask holder

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein are directed to an assembly that includes an elongated member portion and a holder portion. The holder portion is coupled to the elongated member portion. The holder portion includes a body, a cavity, an opening, and a resilient member. The body extends from the elongated member portion and has an upper surface and a base surface. The cavity is positioned within the body to form a pocket. The opening is formed at the upper surface. The opening permits access to the cavity of the body. The resilient member is positioned to circumferentially surround the opening of the cavity. The resilient member is moveable between an expanded position where the resilient member enlarges the opening for a pouch to be positioned within the holder portion and a retracted position where the resilient member returns to a normal state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 63/062,861 filed on Aug. 7, 2020, and entitled“Adjustable Wrist Band Facemask Holder” the contents of which areincorporated by reference herein in its entirety under 35 U.S.C. §119(e).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present specification generally relates to systems and methods forexternal audio range indication for a vehicle and, more specifically, tosystems and methods for displaying an external audio range.

BACKGROUND

It is known to use a facemask to cover a user's nose and mouth so tofilter germs and/or particulates. Some facemasks are reusable whileothers are a one time use. Typically, the reusable facemasks use atleast one strap that circumferentially surrounds a head of a user tohold the facemask in position over the nose and mouth of the user. Otherreusable facemasks have a pair of loops on each side of the mask thatare positioned to circumferentially surround the ears of the user tohold the mask in place. Once a user does not need the facemask, oftentimes the facemask is placed into a pocket, set down, or placedsomewhere also not on the user. As such, many times, masks are forgotand/or lost. Typically young children and young adults lose or misplacetheir facemask when not in use. Further, many times, people forgot tograb the facemask and have to return to an originating place to pick upa facemask or buy another one at the destination.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a facemask holder that isconveniently located, that is easily to attach and detach, that is easyto insert and remove the facemask, and that can easily travel with theuser.

SUMMARY

An assembly that includes an elongated member portion and a holderportion. The holder portion is coupled to the elongated member portion.The holder portion includes a body, a cavity, and an opening. The bodyextends from the elongated member portion. The body has an upper surfaceand a base surface. The cavity is positioned within the body to form apocket. The opening is formed at the upper surface. The opening permitsaccess to the cavity of the body. The resilient member is positioned tocircumferentially surround the opening of the cavity. The opening ismoveable between an expanded position where the resilient memberenlarges the opening for a pouch to be positioned within the holderportion and a retracted position where the resilient member returns to anormal state in which the opening is smaller than that of when theresilient member is in the enlarged position.

These and additional features provided by the embodiments describedherein will be more fully understood in view of the following detaileddescription, in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplaryin nature and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by theclaims. The following detailed description of the illustrativeembodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with thefollowing drawings, where like structure is indicated with likereference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a perspective view of a facemask holderwith a holder portion in an empty state and an elongated member portionin an extended position according to one or more embodiments shown anddescribed herein;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a perspective view of the facemask holderof FIG. 1 with the holder portion in the empty state and the elongatedmember portion in a use position according to one or more embodimentsshown and described herein;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts an isolated top-down view of the facemaskholder of FIG. 1 with the holder portion in the empty state and theelongated member portion in the extended position according to one ormore embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 4 schematically depicts an isolated side view of the facemaskholder of FIG. 1 with the holder portion in the empty state and theelongated member portion in the extended position according to one ormore embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 5 schematically depicts an isolated bottom view of the facemaskholder of FIG. 1 with the holder portion in the empty state and theelongated member portion in the extended position according to one ormore embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 6 schematically depicts an isolated view of the other side thefacemask holder of FIG. 4 with the holder portion in the empty state andthe elongated member portion in the extended position according to oneor more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 7 schematically depicts an isolated front to rear view of thefacemask holder of FIG. 1 with the holder portion in the empty state andthe elongated member portion in the extended position according to oneor more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 8 schematically depicts an isolated rear to front view of thefacemask holder of FIG. 1 with the holder portion in the empty state andthe elongated member portion in the extended position according to oneor more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 9 schematically depicts an isolated cross-sectional view of FIG. 4taken from line 9-9 with the holder portion in the empty state and theelongated member portion in the extended position according to one ormore embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 10 schematically depicts an isolated cross-sectional view of FIG. 7taken from line 10-10 with the holder portion in the empty state and theelongated member portion in the extended position according to one ormore embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 11 schematically depicts a perspective view of the facemask holderof FIG. 1 with the a pouch being inserted and the opening in an expendedposition according to one or more embodiments shown and describedherein; and

FIG. 12 schematically depicts a perspective view of the facemask holderof FIG. 1 with the holder portion in a pouch state and the elongatedmember portion in a use position according to one or more embodimentsshown and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein are generally directed to a facemask holderassembly that fits on or around any size wrist. The facemask holderassembly includes a holder portion and an elongated member portion. Theholder portion is coupled, attached, connected, and the like to theelongated member portion. The holder portion includes a resilient memberpositioned to circumferential surround an opening. The resilient membermay be annular shaped and that is moveable between an enlarged positionwhere the resilient member enlarges the opening for a pouch to bepositioned within the holder portion and a resting position where theresilient member returns to a normal state in which the opening issmaller than that of when the resilient member is in the enlargedposition. Further, the holder portion is moveable, or changes shapebased on whether a pouch is positioned within. The elongated memberportion is moveable between an extended position where the elongatedmember is extending in a longitudinal direction and a use position wherethe elongated member portion is radiused around an object, such as awrist of a user.

Now referring to FIGS. 1-12, a facemask holder assembly 10 isschematically depicted. The facemask holder assembly 10 may bepositioned and held onto a wrist 12, arm, and the like, of a user andstores a facemask 14 when the facemask 14 is not in use. As such, thefacemask holder assembly 10 described herein provides a convenientstorage place for the facemask 14 when not in use to reduce and/oreliminate lost and/or misplaced facemasks. Further, the facemask holderassembly 10 ensures that the user always has access to the facemask 14and that the facemask 14 is with them when it is needed or required.

The facemask holder assembly 10 includes an elongated member portion 16and a holder portion 18. The elongated member portion 16 includes afirst end 20 a and a second end 20 b with a body 22 positionedtherebetween. The body 22 includes an exterior surface 24 a and anopposite interior surface 24 b. The interior surface 24 b is configuredto make contact with the wrist 12, arm and/or other appendage of theuser, as described in greater detail herein.

In some embodiments, the first end 20 a may be symmetrical or uniform inshape with the second end 20 b. In other embodiments, the first end 20 amay be unsymmetrical or in a non-uniform shape with the second end 20 b.That is, the first end 20 a may taper while the second end 20 b may berounded, and/or vice versa.

The elongated member portion 16 is movable between an extended position,such as schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 and indicated by the arrowA2, and a use position, such as schematically illustrated in FIG. 2 andindicated by the arrow A2, where the elongated member portion 16 may bewearable. In the extended position, the first and second ends 20 a, 20 bare spaced apart and/or separated by the body 22 and may extend axiallyin opposite directions from one another. As such, in the extendedposition, the elongated member portion 16 does not retain, hold orposition the holder portion 18 of the facemask holder assembly 10 ontothe wrist 12, arm or other appendage of the user. In the use position,portions of the body 22 of the elongated member portion 16 becomearcuate or curvilinear to form a semi-continuous shape, such as acircle, square, rectangle and the like. As such, a portion of the firstend 20 a and a portion of the second end 20 b may overlap with oneanother and/or come within a close proximity to one another whencompared to the first and second ends 20 a, 20 b in the extendedposition, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the use position, the first and second ends 20 a, 20 b are no longerspaced apart by the body 22 and may be in contact with one another, incontact with other portions of the elongated member portion 16 (e.g.,the body 22), and/or in close proximity to one another. That is, adiameter and/or circumference size of the wrist 12, arm, and/or otherappendage of the user will influence whether the first and second ends20 a, 20 b will be in contact with one another in the wearable position,in contact with the body 22, and/or come within a close proximity to oneanother.

In some embodiments, the elongated member portion 16 is a flexiblespring band. The flexible spring band may be a metal 24, such as steel.The flexible spring band may be wearable or sealed within a covering 26that may be a material, such as fabric, silicone, plastic, and the like.In this embodiment, the elongated member portion 16 may include featuresthat allow the metal 24 of the flexible spring band to moveindependently from the extended position to the useable position, butrequire intervention to be moved from the wearable position to theextended position. For example, the user may apply the elongated memberportion 16 to the wrist 12, arm and/or other appendage of the user bytapping the elongated member portion 16 on the area to be applied, asillustrated in FIG. 1. The elongated member portion 16 will thenindependently move from the extended position into the wearableposition, as illustrated in FIG. 2. To remove the elongated memberportion 16, or place the elongated member portion 16 back into theextended position, the user may have to physically move the first andsecond ends 20 a, 20 b into the extend position. It should beappreciated that the elongated member portion 16 will maintain theextended position until the user taps the elongated member portion 16 onthe area to be applied. As such, the elongated member portion 16provides a comfortable band on or around the wrist, arm and/or otherappendage of the user while maintaining a connection to the wrist, armand/or other appendage of the user.

In other embodiments, the body 22 of the elongated member portion 16 isa band and the first and second ends 20 a, 20 b include a couplingmechanism, such as a hook and clasp and a plurality of bores thatreceive the hook, a Velcro® attachment, hook and loop, and the like, tohold or maintain the elongated member portion 16 in the wearableposition. As such, the band may be leather, plastic, cloth, a resilientmember, and the like.

The holder portion 18 is positioned on the exterior surface 24 a of thebody 22 between the first and second ends 20 a, 20 b. The holder portion18 includes a pocket body 28 that extends from the exterior surface 24 ain a direction opposite of the interior surface 24 b of the body 22. Insome embodiments, the pocket body 28 is coupled to the covering 26 ofthe body 22 of the elongated member portion 16. In some embodiments, thepocket body 28 may be removably or releasably coupled to the covering 26of the body 22 via a fastener such as a clip, hook and loop, and thelike. In other embodiments, the pocket body 28 may be coupled to thecovering 26 of the body 22 via stitching, adhesive, and the like. Inother embodiments, the pocket body 28 may be a monolithic structure withthe covering 26 of the body 22.

In some embodiments, the pocket body 28 is a generally a conical shapewith an opening 30 for a cavity 32 at an apex 34. That is, acircumference of the pocket body 28 is larger at a base 36, near theexterior surface 24 a of the body 22 of the elongated member portion 16than at the apex 34 of the pocket body 28. In other embodiments, thepocket body 28 may be a plurality of uniform and/or irregular shapes.For example, the pocket body 28 may be a rectangular shape, a sphericalshape, a hexagonal shape, an octagonal shape and the like.

The pocket body 28 includes an outer layer 38 a and an opposite innerlayer 38 b and a base layer 38 c of material. In some embodiments, thematerial may be a fabric, cloth, leather, and/or the like. In otherembodiments, the material may be a metal, an elastic, a lace, and thelike. Further, in some embodiments, the material of the outer layer 38a, the inner layer 38 b and the base layer 38 c is the same, while inother embodiments, the material of the outer layer 38 a, the inner layer38 b and the base layer 38 c are different. Further, the material may bepatterned, be any color, and the like. Further, the outer layer 38 a andthe inner layer 38 b may be spaced apart to form a gap or void area 39.

The opening 30 of the pocket body 28 is formed by a member 40 positionedwithin the gap or void area 39 between the outer layer 38 a and theinner layer 38 b to define the opening 30. The member 40 may be annularin shape. In some embodiments, the member 40 is formed from a metalmaterial such as steel, aluminum, and the like. In other embodiments,the member 40 is formed from an elastic material. In other embodiments,the member 40 is formed from a fabric material, a plastic material, andthe like. As such, the member 40 may be a resilient member that moves orchanges shapes as needed, as discussed in greater detail herein.

The holder portion 18 includes the cavity 32 that is configured toreceive the facemask 14. That is, the cavity 32 is a pouch holder orreceptacle. The cavity 32 extends from the opening 30 to the base 36along a length of the pocket body 28 in a vertical direction (i.e., inthe +/−Z direction). The cavity 32 provides enough space for anytraditional facemask. In some embodiments, a flap or other coveringportion may be affixed to, coupled to, releasably attached and/orintegrally formed with the pocket body 28 at or near the apex 34 tocover the opening 30 and the cavity 32. In some embodiments, the flap orother covering portion may be moved between an opened position, whereaccess is permitted into the cavity 32, and a closed position, whereaccess to the cavity 32 is prohibited, by using a clasp, a button, astring, an elastic member, a zipper, Velcro® and/or a plurality of othertypes of fasteners. Further, the flap or other covering portion mayattach or couple to the pocket body via the clasp, button, zipper,string, elastic member, Velcro® and/or the plurality of other types offasteners.

In operation, the user may attach the body 22 of the elongated memberportion 16 to the wrist 12, arm and/or other appendage to move theelongated member portion 16 from the extended position into the wearableposition. The user may add the facemask 14, through the opening 30 ofthe pocket body 28, and into the cavity 32 or remove the facemask 14from the cavity 32 of the pocket body 28 of the holder portion 18 viathe opening 30. It should be appreciated that opening 30 may becomelarger when the facemask 14 is inserted into or removed from the cavity32. That is, the member 40 of the opening 30 is a resilient member thatexpends to allow inserting or removal of the facemask 14 and may alsoact as a closure member such that the member 40 assists in retaining thefacemask 14 within the cavity 32.

For instance, the member 40 may be a resilient member that allows theopening 30 to be movable between a retracted position, as best seen inFIG. 11, and an expanded position, as best seen in FIG. 12. That is,when the facemask 14 is being inserted and/or removed into the holderportion 18, the member 40 expands or enlarges the opening 30 to allowthe facemask 14 to be inserted into the cavity 32 of the holder portion18 and then, reduces its diameter, in the retracted position, such thatthe member 40 retracts the opening 30 to assist in retaining thefacemask 14 within the cavity 32 of the holder portion 18.

That is, the opening 30 is moveable between an expanded position wherethe member 40 increases a diameter of the opening 40 by enlarging theopening 40 for a pouch 14 to be positioned within the holder portion 18and a retracted position where the member 40 decreases the diameter ofthe opening 30, into a normal state, in which the diameter orcircumference of the opening 30 is smaller than that of when the member40 is in the enlarged position.

It should also be appreciated that the shape of the pocket body 28 maybe flexible and change or vary depending on whether the facemask 14and/or other objects are inserted into the cavity 32, the size of thefacemask 14, and the like. If included, the user may then close theopening via the flap or other covering.

Thus disclosed is a facemask holder assembly that is configured to bepositioned and held onto a wrist, arm, and/or other appendage of a userand stores a facemask when the facemask is not in use. Further, thenovel facemask holder assembly provides a convenient storage place thatis easily accessible, easy to travel with, comfortable to wear, is easyto attach and detach, and is easy to insert and remove the facemask ondemand. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that othervariations and modifications of what is detailed herein are within thescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An assembly comprising: an elongated memberportion; and a holder portion coupled to the elongated member portion,the holder portion includes: a body that extends from the elongatedmember portion, the body having an upper surface and a base surface, acavity positioned within the body to form a pocket, and an openingformed at the upper surface, a resilient member is positioned tocircumferentially surround the opening of the cavity, the opening thatpermits access to the cavity of the body, wherein the opening ismoveable between an expanded position where the resilient memberenlarges the opening for a pouch to be positioned within the holderportion and a retracted position where the resilient member returns to anormal state in which the opening is smaller than that of when theresilient member is in the expanded position.
 2. The assembly of claim1, wherein the elongated member portion is moveable between an extendedposition and a use position, the extended position is where theelongated member portion is extending in a longitudinal direction andthe use position is where the elongated member portion is radiusedaround a wrist of a user.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein theresilient member is generally an annular shape.
 4. The assembly of claim1, wherein the body is generally a conical shape.
 5. The assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the elongated member portion includes a covering thatcircumferentially surrounds the elongated member portion.
 6. Theassembly of claim 5, wherein the base surface of the holder portion andthe covering are coupled together.
 7. The assembly of claim 5, whereinthe holder portion and the covering are a monolithic structure.
 8. Theassembly of claim 5, wherein the holder portion and the covering arereleasably coupled together.
 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein thebody includes an interior surface and a spaced apart exterior surface.10. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the body further comprises: a voidarea that circumferentially surrounds the opening near the upper surfaceand positioned between an inner layer and an outer layer.
 11. Theassembly of claim 10, wherein the resilient member is positioned withinthe void area.